News Briefs

San Juan de Dios Not Accepting Patients
The hospital San Juan de Dios in centre San José made the decision not accept patients following overcrowding, where 54 patients are being attended to in the emergency area with capacity for 16. The hospital made the announcement yesterday that it would accept only life threatening emergencies.

Francisco's Death Confirmed by Hospital
The Hospital Nacional de Niños confirmed the death of Francisco, the little boy who shot by his father the day earlier after hid distraught of his separation with the boy's mother.

Sales of TDMA Lines Slow
The sale of TDMA cellular telephone lines has gone as well as expected. This week the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) made available 6.000 lines expecting a large demand, especially in time for Father's Day this Sunday. But in fact, the demand is for the lines is slow and thousands of lines were still available as of last night.

List of "Notables" Announced
President Pacheco announced yesterday his list of "Notables" who will analyze and explain the Tratado Libre de Comercio (TLC) - free trade agreement with the United States. The group is made up of Rodrigo Gámez, president of the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INBIO), Gabriel Macaya, former director of the UCR (Universidad de Costa Rica), Alvar Antillón, a lawyer and expert in international negotiations, and Guido Villalta, Vicar of San José. Despite heavy criticism, the group will be headed by astronaut Franklin Chang Diaz.

Passport Office Closed For Two Days
The Departamento de Pasaportes de la Dirección General de Migración - passport section at immigration - will closed today (Thursday) and tomorrow (Friday) to allow a change in their system that will be introduced on Monday that can process more than 400 passports each day.